1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an orthopaedic assembly, and, more particularly, to an acetabular cup and associated cup inserter used during orthopaedic surgery.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
An orthopaedic implant assembly in the form of an acetabular cup is implanted within an acetabulum of a patient. Typically, a cup inserter is attached to the acetabular cup and used to insert and position the cup within the acetabulum. If the acetabular cup includes an outer metallic shell, it is known to form a threaded opening in the pole portion of the shell and thread an end of the cup inserter into the threaded opening. Upon implanting the shell within the acetabulum, the cup inserter is detached from the threaded opening, and then an inner bearing insert is typically assembled to the outer shell forming an acetabular cup assembly.
It is also known to engage the rim of an acetabular cup with a cup inserter for placement of the cup within an acetabulum. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,972 (Tornier), discloses a cup inserter having a plurality of wedge-shaped teeth which fit within corresponding openings in the rim of an acetabular cup. After the wedged-shaped teeth are placed within the openings in the rim of the cup, the handle of the inserter is moved toward the cup, thereby pushing a plurality of shims into each opening at a location adjacent to each respective wedge-shaped tooth. The shims prevent the wedge-shaped teeth from disengaging the openings in the cup, thereby allowing the cup to be positioned in the acetabulum with the inserter.